Disney S Boardwalk

Renowned architect Robert A.M. Stern envisioned Disney's BoardWalk as a "village across the water," a place where frazzled tourists could take a day off from the theme parks or spend a romantic evening. The complex, which opened in 1996, features the BoardWalk Inn hotel and a lakefront entertainment district with restaurants, nightclubs and a brew pub -- all on a wooden boardwalk. Disney's BoardWalk is a little more tranquil than Downtown Disney, the other Disney World entertainment complex, which features Pleasure Island, stores, and restaurants including the House of Blues and Planet Hollywood.

Renowned architect Robert A.M. Stern envisioned Disney's BoardWalk as a "village across the water," a place where frazzled tourists could take a day off from the theme parks or spend a romantic evening. The complex, which opened in 1996, features the BoardWalk Inn hotel and a lakefront entertainment district with restaurants, nightclubs and a brew pub -- all on a wooden boardwalk. Disney's BoardWalk is a little more tranquil than Downtown Disney, the other Disney World entertainment complex, which features Pleasure Island, stores, and restaurants including the House of Blues and Planet Hollywood.

Hey, photos don't lie. (Well, not counting Michael Jackson.) But as you can see, Mike Tyson is staying physically fit through a controlled diet of no more than one small child per workout session. (And if that's the kid's dad doing the laughing, don't you think there's going to be payback in that family 30 years from now?) Well, it looks like Tyson's fight-or-feast with Lennox Lewis is going to happen Saturday night in Memphis after all. Poor Memphis. After the Union Army occupied it during the Civil War, yellow fever wiped out half the town in 1878.

It's one thing for Orlando to sell itself as a world-class, top-notch, major-league city without a symphony, but quite another now that Church Street Station's Best Dressed Pig Contest had to be scrapped for lack of swine.Yes, the attraction's fall festival Saturday will still have a barbecue cook-off, a watermelon seed-spitting competition and a hog-calling contest, but no parade of gussied-up porkers as planned.Orlando spokesman Joe Mittiga expressed surprise that this international tourist mecca came off as such a one-pig town.

Area children and their parents will be entertained and educated during the fourth annual ``Celebrate the Family'' festival.The event, presented by GFWC Orlando Junior Woman's Club, will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel.Admission will be free.Interactive, hands-on and educational booths will be set up to promote the development of productive, healthy families.Live entertainment will be presented by a variety of organizations, including Splendid China.

LAKE BUENA VISTA -- A decade ago, the idea was deemed merely as intriguing. Try to round up as many of college football's national awards as possible, stick them together and guarantee them all some TV time. So ESPN did. Ten years later, the cable sports giant -- owned by Walt Disney Inc. -- has turned the Home Depot College Football Awards into a two-night celebration. Beginning this afternoon, some of the best players in college football will arrive at Disney, hang out at the ESPN Club, trade tales, phone numbers and e-mail addresses and prep for Thursday night's broadcast from the Atlantic Dance Hall on Disney's Boardwalk.

Two Central Florida hotels and a restaurant were first-time recipients of the American Automobile Association's Four Diamond awards announced Monday. The new hotel winners are Disney's BoardWalk Inn and Disney's BoardWalk Villas. The newest Four Diamond restaurant is Manuel's on the 28th, in the Barnett Bank Center, at 390 N. Orange Ave. The awards - AAA's second-highest honor - were given to 51 hotels and 30 restaurants in Florida.

They usually spend their celebrity hours on national television and in other exotic venues, but some of SeaWorld Orlando's animal ambassadors are about to be seen more frequently around town.The park is testing a marketing program - ``SeaWorld Up Close'' - that allows area hotels to feature visits by two of the park's penguins, a snake and a North American river otter.This is the same crew of animals that have made appearances on shows such as Good Morning America, the Today show and The Rosie O'Donnell Show.

Hey, photos don't lie. (Well, not counting Michael Jackson.) But as you can see, Mike Tyson is staying physically fit through a controlled diet of no more than one small child per workout session. (And if that's the kid's dad doing the laughing, don't you think there's going to be payback in that family 30 years from now?) Well, it looks like Tyson's fight-or-feast with Lennox Lewis is going to happen Saturday night in Memphis after all. Poor Memphis. After the Union Army occupied it during the Civil War, yellow fever wiped out half the town in 1878.

LAKE BUENA VISTA -- A decade ago, the idea was deemed merely as intriguing. Try to round up as many of college football's national awards as possible, stick them together and guarantee them all some TV time. So ESPN did. Ten years later, the cable sports giant -- owned by Walt Disney Inc. -- has turned the Home Depot College Football Awards into a two-night celebration. Beginning this afternoon, some of the best players in college football will arrive at Disney, hang out at the ESPN Club, trade tales, phone numbers and e-mail addresses and prep for Thursday night's broadcast from the Atlantic Dance Hall on Disney's Boardwalk.

``Disney Adventures Cool Summer Nights'' at Disney's BoardWalk offers family entertainment next week only. You can take a stroll along the BoardWalk, admire the scenery, maybe grab a bite to eat (Spoodles and Flying Fish Cafe are fine and fun restaurants) and take in the family carnival event. The extra-added attractions include a bike and 'blade stunt show, interactive games and prizes in the ``Disney Adventures'' trivia challenge. Check it out: ``Cool Summer Nights'' will run from 5 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday at Disney's BoardWalk, which is off Interstate 4 southwest of Orlando - once you get on Disney property, look for the directional signs to BoardWalk.

To many sports fans, the Super Bowl and good food make a winning team. Here's a list of some restaurants and bars that will be good places to be on Sunday: Players Grill: Pointe Orlando, 9101 International Drive, Orlando; 407-903-1974. You can't get any closer to actual NFL types than this. This is the official restaurant of football players, and the place is decorated with pigskin memorabilia and photos. The upstairs is a classy restaurant with food under the direction of Ralph Brennan, but the bar on the first floor is the sort of place where you can scream and yell at the TV. Dan Marino's Town Tavern: Pointe Orlando, 9101 International Drive, Orlando; 407-363-1013.

I predicted the demise of the swing dancing fad the day my date and I watched the kid with the long sideburns,the pomade-slicked hair, the rolled-up sleeves and pants legs feed sushi bits to his poodle skirt- and bobby sock-wearing girlfriend.Maybe I missed an episode of Happy Days, but I don't think the spicy tuna roll was a favorite of Fonzie.But perhaps my prediction was off target. Maybe swing wasn't dying. It was just too good of a date idea not to go mainstream. After all, bands like Rocket 88 have put on some of the most entertaining shows in Orlando for nearly a decade.

Universal Studios CityWalk is presenting the Gin Jam '99 Music Tour with a free concert today at the CityWalk Lagoon Stage. The show, featuring Chante Moore, Jesse Powell and Calvin Richardson, will start at 7:30 p.m. Call (407) 363-8000 for more information.If you're looking for something free to do with the kids, head out to the fifth annual Celebrate the Family Festival at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel on Saturday. The event, which runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., will feature interactive and educational exhibits, Disney games and prizes, entertainment, a food court and goody bags.

The big surprise announcement planned for Walt Disney World's fall media event today is a deal with ESPN Enterprises to create a ''unique, one-of-a-kind, interactive multimedia entertainment center.''In other words: a really cool sports bar.The 13,000-square-foot ESPN Sports Club is expected to open in 1996 at Disney's Boardwalk, a turn-of-the-century Cape Cod-style resort area to be built between Epcot and Disney-MGM Studios.The club is divided into three areas:Sports Central will be a 220-seat ''arena'' with restaurant service, a 40-square-foot wall of monitors showing various sporting events, TV and radio broadcast facilities and four monitors hanging 40 feet high like an arena scoreboard, flashing the latest game highlights and scores.

Tara Dawn Holland spent her 24th birthday Wednesday pretty much as you would expect a new Miss America to - smiling, saying ''fabulous,'' waving, posing and blasting a human being about 75 feet into the air.Yes, when the Lake Mary High grad achieved her lifelong dream in Atlantic City, she got $80,000 in scholarship money, a fabulous designer wardrobe AND the chance to launch a human cannonball.Cool.While certainly a peak moment in the glamour life of any beauty queen, the blast - the high point at the dedication of Disney's BoardWalk - was even more exciting for the C. Ball himself: Luis Munoz.

Area children and their parents will be entertained and educated during the fourth annual ``Celebrate the Family'' festival.The event, presented by GFWC Orlando Junior Woman's Club, will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel.Admission will be free.Interactive, hands-on and educational booths will be set up to promote the development of productive, healthy families.Live entertainment will be presented by a variety of organizations, including Splendid China.

They usually spend their celebrity hours on national television and in other exotic venues, but some of SeaWorld Orlando's animal ambassadors are about to be seen more frequently around town.The park is testing a marketing program - ``SeaWorld Up Close'' - that allows area hotels to feature visits by two of the park's penguins, a snake and a North American river otter.This is the same crew of animals that have made appearances on shows such as Good Morning America, the Today show and The Rosie O'Donnell Show.